The present invention relates to a food handling fork. With greater particularity, the present invention relates to a fork having a plurality of tines extending through a release plate that slidably moves along the tines to release food secured thereon as two heat resistant handles grasped in one hand are pressed together.
Food handling devices such as tongs and forks allow a user to grasp and move food without having to touch the food with his fingers. There are several dangers associated with attempting to use one""s fingers to move food during the cooking process. Because food being cooked on a cooking device such as a barbecue grill or stove is extremely hot, the most obvious of these dangers is suffering a burn from contact with the cooking device or the food itself. This danger is heightened when using an outdoor barbecue because of the intense heat and the random nature of flames flaring towards the cooking surface. A less obvious, but nevertheless significant danger associated with moving food with one""s fingers during the cooking process is the possibility of transferring disease-causing bacteria between the food, such as uncooked meat, and the user""s hands. These dangers are reduced by the use of forks and tongs that allow food to be moved in a controlled manner while keeping the user""s hands and fingers a safe distance from the cooking device and the food itself.
The conventional barbecue fork is generally straight, allowing the user to hold the fork by a handle on one end, and to secure food of various shapes and textures using two or more tines extending from the opposite end. To secure and move food utilizing a fork, typically only one hand is needed. In many cases, however, food secured and moved by the fork is not readily releasable from a conventional fork, and this is a significant design limitation of conventional forks. To release objects secured by the tines of a conventional force, the user often resorts to the use of a second utensil, which must then be cleaned. In a more reflexive manner, to avoid using a second utensil the user may resort to awkward motions with abrupt changes in direction to release the object secured by the tines, which reduces the user""s control over the manner in which an object is released. In some cases, the user reflexively resorts to using his fingers to brace the object secured on the tines and then remove the tines from the object. This manner of releasing objects secured by a fork having a conventional design increases the likelihood that the user will suffer a burn or spread contamination from contacting food with their fingers.
An additional disadvantage associated with using a second utensil or the user""s fingers to brace food for releasing an object from the tines of a conventional fork, is the necessity of the user employing two hands for removing food from a fork. A barbecue cook often does not have his second hand free to remove food from a fork, such as, for example, the situation where the cook is holding a tray in one hand and a food handling fork in the other. If the second hand of a user is not free, and the user is having difficulty removing an object from the tines of a conventional fork, the cook is more likely to resort in a reflexive manner to attempting to release objects from the fork using awkward, abrupt motions. Although a user may release food from a fork in this manner, this method of removing food from a barbecue fork utilizing one hand is unsatisfactory.
The conventional fork design relies to a large extent on gravity and shaking by the user to remove objects from the tines. This method of removing food from a conventional barbecue fork does not allow the user to have a high level of control over the manner and location in which food is released. Thus, the existing methods of releasing food from a conventional barbecue fork can result in the unwanted splashing of grease as food is abruptly release from the fork, causing dangerous and messy cooking conditions. Conventional barbecue forks do not allow the user to gently place food in a specific location on a plate or grill in an easy, controlled manner.
Therefore, the need exists for an improved food handling fork that can be used with one hand to easily release food from the tines of a fork in a controlled manner.
With the foregoing in mind, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a food handling fork that easily releases food secured by the fork.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a food handling fork that allows food to be released from a fork utilizing one hand.
An additional object of this invention is to provide a fork capable of releasing food secured by the fork that is easy to operate.
Another object of this invention is to provide a food handling fork that allows food to be released from the fork while keeping the user""s hands and fingers a safe distance from the food and cooking device to prevent the user""s hands and fingers from being burned.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a food handling fork that allows food to be released from the fork while keeping the user""s hands and fingers a safe distance from the food and cooking device to prevent the transfer of disease-causing bacteria between the food and the user""s hands.
Another object of this invention is to provide a fork capable of securing, moving, and releasing a variety of articles in a controlled manner.
An additional object of this invention is to provide a fork that easily releases a variety of articles from the tines of the fork without damaging the articles.
Another object of this invention is to provide a fork having a plurality of tines, a release plate used to release objects from the tines, and two handles that are used to control the selective movement of the release plate along the tines.
Another object of this invention is to provide a fork made of simple construction, which achieves the stated objectives in a simple, effective, and inexpensive manner and which solves the problems and satisfies the needs existing in the art.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished through the use of a food handling fork having a plurality of tines with a release plate forming a plurality of openings through which the tines of the fork project. The tines and release plate of the present invention are connected to a pair of handles that when pressed together cause the release plate to slidably move toward the ends of the tines, causing food secured by the tines to be released therefrom. The release plate extends below the tines and terminates in at least one tongue positioned between the tines. The tines are connected to and longitudinally extend from one of the handles. The release plate member is pivotally connected at its proximal end to an extension plate member extending longitudinally from the other handle. Pressing the two handles together causes the release plate member to selectively advance along the tines toward the ends of the tines.
The handles of the food handling fork of the present invention are designed for use with one hand, which eliminates the need to lift and release food from the food handling fork using a second utensil or the user""s fingers. The present invention eliminates the awkward maneuvering necessary for releasing food from conventional barbecue forks. Further, because the release plate can be selectively moved to a release position wherein a portion of the release plate is forward the ends of the tines, the easy release fork may operate in essentially any orientation and does not rely on gravity to remove food from the tines. The release plate of the present invention may be operated to push food from the tines in a highly controlled manner with the fork positioned in an upward, downward, or horizontal orientation. Further, the outward movement of the forward facing surface of the release plate not only overcomes the limitations of the prior art by allowing the food to be released in a highly controlled manner without the necessity of utilizing gravity or awkward movements, it also overcomes the limitations of the prior art by gently releasing food without pinching it or mashing it. Thus, it can be appreciated that an easy release fork of the present invention may be used to effectively handle food without damaging delicate foods such as, for instance, olives or cheese.
The present invention allows a user to release objects from a fork where and when desired, while minimizing damage to the food as it is released from the fork. It can be appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiment and the drawings referenced therein that the easy release fork of the present invention can be used with one hand to pick up, place, and release food in a highly controlled manner that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.